Multi purpose ladder

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a ladder attachment adapted to support the top of a ladder spaced outwardly from a vertical supporting surface and a platform adjustable to various width ladders for the purpose of resting tools or equipment when not in use.

U Untied States Patent 1191 1111 3,779,344 Rister 1 Dec. 118, 1973 [5 1 MULTl PURPOSE LADDER 2,732,264 H1956 Smith 248/210 6] I ento a n ste t SCI 1,379,419 5/1921 Reeves 182/129 29715 FORElGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 22 Filed: Oct 10 1972 250,048 5/1948 Switzerland 182/214 [21] Appl 296256 Primary Examiner-Reinaldo P. Machado 52 us. 01. 182/214, 182/120 AB ACT [51] Int. Cl. E06c 7/14, 1506c 7/48 STR [58] Field of Search 182/214, 120, 129; Thls Invention relates to a ladder attachment adapted 24 2 0 21 1 to support the top of a ladder spaced outwardly from a vertical supporting surface and a platform adjustable 5 References Cited to various width ladders for the purpose of resting UNITED STATES PATENTS tools or equipment when not in use.

6/1952 Finney 182/214 1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures MULTI PURPOSE LADDER This invention relates to ladder attachments and speciflcally to a device which lends itself to multi purpose use.

A main object of this invention is to provide a means of positioning a ladder from a wall or other structure at a safe angle of inclination, at any height.

Another object of this invention is to provide a readily attachable spacer between ladder and building, thereby simplifying painting or otherwise servicing of roof protrusions.

Another object of this invention is to provide a convenient platform, adjustable to various width ladders, for the purpose of resting tools or other equipment when not in use, with hook attachment for bail of paint can or tools that allow themselves to be so hung.

The above objects will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device attached to a ladder.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the device.

Referring to the drawing, where is shown as a single section ladder with multi purpose ladder attachment at 11. Attachment is secured to ladder by means of brackets 12, which are attached to ladder upright by means of fasteners 13. Concave portion 14, of brackets 12, receive round bars and are angularly offset from flat portion 16, of brackets, thereby forming safe angle of inclination. Bars 15, are fixed in position by means of hand screw 17, and retained in a parallel position by plate 18, being secured to bars by suitable fasteners 19. Plate 18, equipped with slots 21, allows adjustment for various width ladders. Plate 20, are integrally fixed to end of bars 15, at a complimentary angle to concave portion 14, of bracket 12, thereby maintaining parallelism between plates 20, and any adjacent wall.

While the embodiments of this invention have been described above and in the drawing, understand that the invention is not limited to same, since modifications can be made in light of the above disclosures.

Having described my invention 1 claim:

1. A ladder attachment adapted to support the top of a ladder a distance spaced outwardly from a vertical supporting surface like a wall, the ladder including a pair of longitudinally extending transversely spaced upright members having a plurality of spaced apart rungs extending therealong and therebetween, the attachment comprising:

a pair of transversely spaced apart parallelly disposed bracket members, each bracket member centrally secured longitudinally to an outer surface of an associated ladder upright adjacent the upper end thereof, each bracket member being formed of an elongated rectangular sheet material including a central arcuately curved portion with top and bottom axially aligned wing like members extending from the top and bottom respectively of the central portion adapted to be placed in juxtaposition with the ladder upright and secured thereto with each of the inner surfaces of the central portions defining a socket with the outer surface of the ladder upright, the central portion being open at the front and back ends thereof, the transverse axis of the arcuate central portion being angularly disposed relative to the longitudinal axis of the wing members, each central portion having a centrally disposed threaded aperture extending therethrough normal to the plane of the wing members, each aperture having associated therewith an elongated threaded member having one end portion adapted to be threadedly received in the aperture for reciprocal movement into and out of thesocket by rotation thereof about its axis, the opposite end portion being of an enlarged diameter for grasping between the fingers of an individuals hand in a manner to effect the rotation of the threaded member;

a pair of elongated cylindrical rods, each rod associated with one of the brackets,. each rod being of a diameter sized and shaped to have one end thereof received in the associated socket and detachably secured therein by adjustment of the respective threaded member, the second end of each rod projecting axially outward from the front end of the respective socket at an angle to the ladder upright in a direction toward the vertical wall, each bar including a pair of aligned longitudinally spaced radially extending threaded openings oriented in an upward facing direction and each having a threaded fastener associated therewith;

a pair of flat rectangular plates each mounted centrally on the second end of an associated rod in a manner projecting normal to the axis thereof and adapted to engage the vertical wall in a non-slip manner;

a flat rectangular platform adapted to span the distance between the ladder uprights and overlap the top surfaces of the rods, the platform being provided adjacent each side edge thereof with transversely extending slots spaced longitudinally apart a distance corresponding to the distance between the pair of threaded openings in each rod, the slots receiving therethrough the threaded fasteners to detachably secure the platform to the rods and to retain the rods in parallel position, the slots being of a sufficient length permitting adjustment of the rods toward and away from one another to accomodate ladder of different widths; and

a hook member adapted to be detachably secured to the plate by any of the threaded fasteners, the hook member comprising an elongated flat body member having an opening in one end to receive any of threaded fasteners therethrough with the opposite end portion bent downwardly out of the plane of the body member to project normal thereto with outermost end arcuately curved to define a U- shaped hook normal to the plane of the body member. 

1. A ladder attachment adapted to support the top of a ladder a distance spaced outwardly from a vertical supporting surface like a wall, the ladder including a pair of longitudinally extending transversely spaced upright members having a plurality of spaced apart rungs extending therealong and therebetween, the attachment comprising: A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED APART PARALLELLY DISPOSED BRACKET MEMBERS, EACH BRACKET MEMBER CENTRALLY SECURED LONGITUDINALLY TO AN OUTER SURFACE OF AN ASSOCIATED LADDER UPRIGHT ADJACENT THE UPPER END THEREOF, EACH BRACKET MEMBER BEING FORMED OF AN ELONGATED RECTANGULAR SHEET MATERIAL INCLUDING A CENTRAL ARCUATELY CURVED PORTION WITH TOP AND BOTTOM AXIALLY ALIGNED WING LIKE MEMBERS EXTENDING FROM THE TOP AND BOTTOM RESPECTIVELY OF THE CENTRAL PORTION ADAPTED TO BE PLACED IN JUXTAPOSITION WITH THE LADDER UPRIGHT AND SECURED THERETO WITH EACH OF THE INNER SURFACES OF THE CENTRAL PORTIONS DEFINING A SOCKET WITH THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE LADDER UPRIGHT, THE CENTRAL PORTION BEING OPEN AT THE FRONT AND BACK ENDS THEREOF, THE TRANSVERSE AXIS OF THE ARCUATE CENTRAL PORTION BEING ANGULARLY DISPOSED RELATIVE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE WING MEMBERS, EACH CENTRAL PORTION HAVING A CENTRALLY DISPOSED THREADED APERTURE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH NORMAL TO THE PLANE OF THE WING MEMBERS, EACH APERTURE HAVING ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AN ELONGATED THREADED MEMBER HAVING ONE END PORTION ADAPTED TO BE THREADEDLY RECEIVED IN THE APERTURE FOR RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF THE SOCKET BY ROTATION THEREOF ABOUT ITS AXIS, THE OPPOSITE END PORTION BEING OF AN ENLARGED DIAMETER FOR GRASPING BETWEEN THE FINGERS OF AN INDIVIDUAL''S HAND IN A MANNER TO EFFECT THE ROTATION OF THE THREADED MEMBER; A PAIR OF ELONGATED CYLINDRICAL RODS, EACH ROD ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF THE BRACKETS, EACH ROD BEING OF A DIAMETER SIZED AND SHAPED TO HAVE ONE END THEREOF RECEIVED IN THE ASSOCIATED SOCKET AND DETACHABLY SECURED THEREIN BY ADJUSTMENT OF THE RESPECTIVE THREADED MEMBER, THE SECOND END OF EACH ROD PROJECTING AXIALLY OUTWARD FROM THE FRONT END OF THE RESPECTIVE SOCKET AT AN ANGLE TO THE LADDER UPRIGHT IN A DIRECTION TOWARD THE VERTICAL WALL, EACH BAR INCLUDING A PAIR OF ALIGNED LONGITUDINALLY SPACED RADIALLY EXTENDING THREADED OPENINGS ORIENTED IN AN UPWARD FACING DIRECTION AND EACH HAVING A THREADED FASTENER ASSOCIATED THEREWITH; A PAIR OF FLAT RECTANGULAR PLATES EACH MOUNTED CENTRALLY ON THE SECOND END OF AN ASSOCIATED ROD IN A MANNER PROJECTING NORMAL TO THE AXIS THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE VERTICAL WALL IN A NON-SLIP MANNER; A FLAT RECTANGULAR PLATFORM ADAPTED TO SPAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE LADDER UPRIGHTS AND OVERLAP THE TOP SURFACES OF THE RODS, THE PLATFORM BEING PROVIDED ADJACENT EACH SIDE EDGE THEREOF WITH TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING SLOTS SPACED LONGITUDINALLY APART A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PAIR OF THREADED OPENINGS IN EACH ROD, THE SLOTS RECEIVING THERETHROUGH THE THREADED FASTENERS TO DETACHABLY SECURE THE PLATFORM TO THE RODS AND TO RETAIN THE RODS IN PARALLEL POSITION, THE SLOTS BEING OF A SUFFICIENT LENGTH PERMITTING ADJUSTMENT OF THE RODS TOWARD AND AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER TO ACCOMODATE LADDER OF DIFFERENT WIDTHS; AND A HOOK MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE DETACHABLY SECURED TO THE PLATE BY ANY OF THE THREADED FASTENERS, THE HOOK MEMBER COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLAT BODY MEMBER HAVING AN OPENING IN ONE END TO RECEIVE ANY OF THREADED FASTENERS THERETHROUGH WITH THE OPPOSITE END PORTION BENT DOWNWARDLY OUT OF THE PLANE OF THE BODY MEMBER TO PROJECT NORMAL THERETO WITH OUTERMOST END ARCUATELY CURVED TO DEFINE A U-shaped hook normal to the plane of the body member. 